Call me silly, but I'd like to know the deal with eggs too. Can't you use the meringue powder recipe, or is that just as bad? I'm not trying to criticize by any means, I'm just not familiar with vegans.

You are looking for an icing to frost cakes? Vegan is all natural - no animal products right? I don't know that maybe powder sugar, rice or soy milk, and there is a vegan shortening stick that should make a pretty good icing...I used the vegan shortening stick, can't remember the name off hand but I can get it.....and it turned out OK>>. Is that what you are looking for....?

I dont use royal icing and never have and I manage fine, not because I am a vegan but because I dont find it easy to work with and I dont need it. Can I just say I love your work. You are such a great artist and Im sure you will be just the same without royal icing.

terrylee~ I don't need any icing or fondant recipes, I make my own. But thanks for asking. I do find that spectrum organic shortening works great.

wendym ~ thank you.

About eggs ~ yes this is self-imposed. For us it is an ethical choice (don't like how chickens, especially male chicks, are treated) and a health one as well. And yes, I refuse to use leather, fur, silk or even eat honey. I've made my own powdered sugar from turbinado, although I sometimes buy organic pre-made PS which is certified vegan.

People have asked me much stranger questions than these, which I find amusing...(as if to challenge me ) like: "so, what if you swallow a bug?" or "if you're vegan, why do you eat the "taste-a-likes"? (fake meats)... and other inane questions like that. I guess I won't "die" if I swallow a bug... (I'll just burn for all eternity... just kidding. ) Most people are just innocently curious. We don't try (or want) to convert anyone. Most of our friends are non-vegan. That said, my tone isn't meant to sound defensive or rude.

I did try using egg replacer (tapioca starch) and it did work to a certain extent, but it would need an inordinate amount of sugar, and it's just not worth the trouble to pipe it. I can use it for cookies though, to outline, flood, etc. It worked pretty well.

Oh yeah ~ I wasn't implying that people who don't use RI don't measure up to those that do... I was asking for myself and was interested in the general consensus.

FWIW your tone didn't sound defensive or rude, and thanks for not taking (what appeared to me to be) the innocent questions the wrong way. Also thanks for your report on using egg replacers, I was just going to ask you about that. I am not vegan but the possibility always exists that I may bake for one, so I love learning about some of these areas where I would not have otherwise known a product was not vegan (the whole bone char revelation a while back was quite a surprise!)

Now back to your question: I don't use RI but a) I am not a prolific (nor professional ) baker and b) I can't pipe my way out of a paper bag anyway. But...I've seen 18 gazillion amazing cakes here that don't use RI, I can't imagine why you'd feel you were missing the boat, if you have an alternative style that works just fine for you (which you do!). Keep doing what you do so wonderfully!

Hi, i'm not sure but I believe that the method you are using is pretty much it. Have you tried googling it? I'm not vegan either and I have a lot of friends that are and we laugh about the curiosity questions all the time. My friends have had me try some vegan dishes and they are really good but, it's a matter of preference. I like to try different things and I love tasting food and having different options so I can understand why you want to try royal icing. I will do some research for you out here and definitly try to help you out but, it might take a while.

I found this recipe on a vegan board and it is supossed to be very similar to royal icing and be shiny. It says milk substitute or water so maybe you can try it and let us know how it works out. It was copied from group recipes.com

Directions In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth.Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush.

You know, the funny thing is... a few days later I checked my vegan "RI" after it sat in a sealed glass jar. It seemed to thicken and set. I put some on a plate and walked away.... voila! I think this may work. Maybe not for flowers, so I'm not getting my hopes up. But this was inspiring.

I actually adapted a few recipes and made them my own: Toba's, Antonia74's, and one other I found on the web. I had to adjust amounts and add a thickening agent (or two) . If you'd like the recipe, I'd be happy to PM it to you.

Oh yeah, I can't use google because of the anti-virus software I have. BUT I can use Ask.com and that is about the same.